


Seven Days a Week

by melpos



Category: Free!
Genre: AUs and not AUs, Fluff, M/M, Momotori Week 2015, prompts galor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-09
Updated: 2015-02-16
Packaged: 2018-03-11 09:45:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3322853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melpos/pseuds/melpos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Momotori week 2015:</p><p>February 9th: Confessions<br/>February 10th: Injuries or Sick Day<br/>February 11th: Momo finds Nitori’s porn<br/>February 12th: Reactions or Cheering<br/>February 13th: Captain Aiichiro<br/>February 14th: Kisses or Cuddles<br/>February 15th: Snow Day</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was time for Momo to confess.

_confession (n.) – a formal statement admitting that one is guilty of a crime; an admission or acknowledgment that one has done something that one is ashamed or embarrassed about_

It was time for Momo to confess. He was done. He was tired of the stress. Of the frustration. Of the pain. He simply couldn't handle it anymore. 

He had to confess the guilt of his crimes.

It wasn't like he killed a man. No, that was beyond something he would ever let himself do. He didn't rob a bank, either. All he did was sell some illegal drugs to a few people. Nothing too big. It wasn't like he had killed the president. Although that wouldn't be as bad as this if he hadn't gotten caught. 

He was in the business for five strong and steady years and not once was he caught selling drugs. It was only when he decided to sell to an up-scale, prestigious lawyer-man that he got caught. Momo couldn't believe how much of an amateur that guy was. Going during the day to a dark, open alley in the heart of the city? They were either going to sell drugs or kill each other, and it wasn't the latter. It was times like those that he wished he hadn't been so lenient with his sales. He realized he should've been more strict and controlling of the situations with his clients, but that would just steer them away to some other drug dealer. The more he let them control the situation, the more they bought from him. It was that simple.

And yet, a cop had to walk by and glance toward that exact alleyway and see the exchange. 

Momo knew from that moment on that he was royally screwed. One part of him wanted to fight against the cop and try to run; another, larger part of him wanted to simply give up. He was tired of running and skirting around, if he had to be honest, and before he knew it, the big-shot lawyer-man had ran, and Momo was left alone with the cop to fend for himself. 

Which led to where he was now. A holding cell. He was due that day to go to court, and he had every intention to confess for his crimes. 

Jail won't be so bad, he figured, because at least he wouldn't have to fight the flooding bills that came out of nowhere and from everywhere, or buy food for himself. He would have a room, a bed, and some food. What more could a guy need?

 _Maybe proper living conditions,_ he thought grudgingly. Or maybe a place that wasn't infested with murderers and burglars and other committers of crimes. It was just a thought. 

Momo sighed and shifted on the bench. He regretted selling drugs, but it was honestly a great way to make a lot of extra spending money. The only issue was that it was illegal. 

He closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall. His head lolled back and forth with every move of his neck. He didn't care. It felt nice and cool in the fiery perdition he called his life. 

Momo felt that he was possibly being dramatic. He didn't care. 

_Can't get much worse from here,_ he thought. _Plus, I'm sure the crime will give me maybe a year or two. I can do a year or two in prison. Hopefully._

He stayed in his same position and tried to stay positive about the situation. 

\----

"Mikoshiba Momotarou, you are sentenced to five years in jail."

Five _years._ Not days. Not months. _Years._

Momo was beginning to panic. Why did this have to happen? Why did it have to be such a long sentence? He sold drugs, dammit. Nothing more. He had just turned 22 and yet, here he was: in jail, for selling drugs. He hoped that _maybe_ , with good behavior, he could be released in two years and six months as suggested by the judge. _Maybe._

 _Bright side, look on the bright side,_ he kept reminding himself. It was hard though, when he was ushered into his cell and met with a tall, brooding man who flashed some shark teeth at him when they made eye contact. Momo gulped. 

"Go easy on him, Matsuoka," the cop who brought him in said. Momo turned to look at him. He pushed him in, locked the door, and left. 

Momo went to the bed that didn't have a weird-looking guy with pinkish-red hair. He sat down and looked around at the small cell for two. Matsuoka, Momo noticed, was staring at him with a thoughtful look on his face. 

Momo decided to play the brooding, angry card. "What are you looking at?" he growled. 

Matsuoka scoffed. He didn't say anything else. 

"Hey!" Momo tried again in the same angry tone. "I'm talking to you!" 

Matsuoka chuckled. "Relax, kid. I'm not gonna do anything to you. I don't know what that cop was thinking either. I've only gotten into one fight since I got in here, and because I won, now I'm some big shot or something." Matsuoka shrugged. 

"How long have you been in here?" Momo asked, swinging his legs childishly back and forth. Matsuoka stared at Momo's legs in slight disbelief. What did this kid do to get in jail? 

"Like seven months? Yeah, I, uh was caught in some gang stuff." Matsuoka scratched his head as he prompted, "What about you?" 

Momo groaned in embarrassment. "I was caught selling drugs." He laughed nervously. 

Matsuoka grinned. "Happens to the best of us, kid." He paused. "What's your name?" 

Momo stared at Matsuoka. What was he supposed to say? His real name? A gang name? A rapper name? A fake one, maybe? He was beginning to panic. Sweat arose on his forehead. He started to fidget. 

"I, uh," he stuttered. Matsuoka looked at him in confusion. 

"Your name. Like you know, what people call you?" 

Momo glared at him. "Yeah, but I'm not sure if I should trust you with my real name." 

Matsuoka rolled his eyes. "You watch way too many movies. Whatever. I'm Matsuoka Rin."

Momo cleared his throat. "Well, I'm Mikoshiba Momotarou." 

Rin nodded his acknowledgement. "Alright." 

A silence passed over the two. Rin closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall, relaxed. Momo leaned forward anxiously. He cleared his throat again. One of Rin's eyes pried open. 

"Hm?" he murmured. 

Momo looked up at him. "Oh nothing. Just thinking about how I'm in jail and all." 

Rin scoffed. "Get used to it." 

\----

_I'm in jail. I'm in jail. I'm in jail._

It was Momo's new mantra. It helped him keep in touch with reality. 

When he was trying to sleep, it was repeated in his mind; when he was getting breakfast, when he was eating dinner, when he was working in the kitchen, any time he breathed, those were his thoughts. He hated how it plagued him so much. He didn't think about how _much_ of a toll being in jail would have on his mental stability. He hadn't gotten in any fights either. So all was as good as it could be. 

Then, it got a lot better. 

He was working in the kitchen. His day to serve, and all. Of course, the cops on the job stood around to watch them. They always did. 

As Momo spooned out more of the oh-so appetizing "special of the day," he heard the door of the kitchen pry open. He looked up and figured he'd just see another inmate, or another cop but no. Goodness, no. It was even better. 

He had been in jail for the span of two weeks (a long, enduring two weeks). In that time he had not seen a single woman. It made sense, of course. He was in an all-male jail after all. This person, though they weren't a girl, still had the same dainty, beautiful features of one. They? Why was Momo thinking "they"? This person was a _he_ , and he was beautiful. 

He had silvery-gray hair trimmed in a cute bob-like cut that framed his face nicely. While Momo was far away from him, he could still see the striking blue color of the man's eyes. Beautiful. So, so beautiful. 

_I'm going to go say hi,_ he thought determinedly, as he set his ladle down and turned away from the kitchen counter. He brushed his frontside and flattened it down. He shook his head to make his hair more unkempt and wild—his favorite and best feature about him. He stood up straight and took his first step. 

Only to be pulled back by a large hand on his shoulder. 

Momo looked up in mild frustration and saw Rin. Rin was staring down at him suspiciously. He leaned down and whispered into Momo's ear, "What do you think you're doing, Mikoshiba?" 

Momo pouted and turned his body toward Rin. "What does it look like? I'm gonna go talk to that guy!" 

Rin hummed as he nodded. "Right, right. The new _officer_ that they're training." 

Momo's eyes widened and his head whipped around to stare at the man. He was talking to an officer and the officer smiled as the man said something sheepishly. He was patted on the back by the officer. The man smiled bashfully. 

Momo turned back to Rin. Rin was smirking at him. Momo's eyebrows furrowed angrily. He groaned. 

"Why?" he lamented dramatically. Rin rolled his eyes. 

"Relax. It's not like he'll ever see you. I doubt that they'll have him deal with criminals this early on." 

Momo frowned, casting one more sparing glance at the silver-haired man. He turned back to his ladle and sighed. 

\----

"One, two, three, fo—"

"Shut up."

"... Five, six, seven, eight—" 

"I will not hesitate to go over there and punch you." 

Momo sighed. He was bored. Ever since he had seen that beautiful man two weeks ago, his life had become boring. He resorted to counting the stitches on his pants, _out loud_ , and it was driving Rin crazy. 

"I'm so _bored!_ There's nothing to do in here and it's killing me." 

"Oh it is? Great!" Sarcasm dripped from Rin's voice. 

"I hate you," Momo murmured. Rin didn't respond. Momo paused and waited. Nothing. He repeated the phrase again louder and looked over at Rin. 

Rin looked up from what he was reading with a raised eyebrow. His mouth opened to speak when the door to the cell was unlocked and opened. 

They both glanced over and saw the same man Momo had been completely ready to talk to weeks before in the kitchen. Rin's eyebrows raised in surprise. Momo stared in shock. He never expected to see the man again, and yet, here he was, in a fresh officer's uniform, hair perfectly in place, and a hand placed on a cocked hip. 

"Mikoshiba," the man said. Momo froze and hung onto every syllable he uttered. "You're up for kitchen duty." 

Momo didn't move. He kept his unmoving eyes on the officer and wondered if he was actually dreaming at that moment. There was no way that officer was there for him. He had lost all hope of ever seeing him again, but he was right there in the flesh. Momo just couldn't believe it. 

"Hey!" the cop yelled forcefully. Momo jumped. He never thought someone so small and fragile-looking could be so strong and firm in voice. Momo thought it was hot. He nearly fanned himself, but then the situation hit him. He scrambled up and scurried to the door of the cell. The man nodded. As Momo was passing him to exit the cell, he looked down at the cop's name tag and saw the name _Nitori._ Momo liked that name. He wanted to test it on his tongue a few times. 

So as they were walking, he did. 

It first started off as a murmur, barely audible to anyone unless they were listening. Then, it became a whisper, and after that, a full-on vocal word that Momo repeated. 

Nitori looked over at Momo in confusion and slight shock. _What the hell?_ he thought. 

"What do you think you're doing?" Nitori asked Momo. 

Momo blinked down at him, wide and bright eyes showing confusion and admiration. 

"What _am_ I doing?" Momo asked, with a playful lilt in his voice. 

Nitori didn't like that lilt. He decided to drop the incident and murmured, "Never mind." He turned his head to face forward and Momo grinned. They still had a bit of a long walk to go—the jail was big, and it was just Momo's luck that his cell happened to be one of the furthest from the cafeteria. 

"So, officer," Momo started with a small grin that he couldn't keep off of his face. "You new here?" 

Nitori didn't say anything, he only nodded stoically. 

Momo took a quick glance around. Good. No one in sight. 

He took two big steps to be able to stand in front of Nitori and keep him from walking. "I can show you how things work around here, you know," Momo said lowly with a smirk. 

Nitori didn't look impressed. "Not interested," he replied dryly. He tried to sidestep Momo, but Momo mirrored his movements. 

"Oh?" Momo lilted, still leaning in, his smile still neatly kempt on his face. 

Nitori didn't do anything. He simply reached into one of the compartments on his suit, pulled out a taser, and turned it on to show Momo. Momo backed away immediately. 

"I'm glad we understand," Nitori said, and he allowed himself a small smile. 

Momo shivered. Nitori was one scary cop. 

They continued to walk. 

"How old are you?" Momo asked. 

Nitori's nose crinkled in annoyance. Why couldn't they just walk in peace and quiet. "How old are _you_?" 

Momo said proudly, "I am twenty-two, Mr. Nitori-sir!" 

Nitori's eyes widened in shock. He couldn't stop himself before he asked, "What are you in here for?" 

Momo's proud stance withered a little bit. He still answered with, "Selling drugs." 

"Oh," Nitori murmured. Well, that wasn't a horrible crime. Nitori had never done drugs, but he had seen his fair-share of exchanges in college. 

Momo was completely frowning now. He sighed. "Yeah. It was more of a side thing. I had never been caught till that one time. And now I'm here." He looked up from staring at the ground when he walked and noticed the cafeteria coming into view. "I got to meet you, though," Momo offered gently as a small smile appeared on his face. 

Nitori's face burned. He looked down at the ground. No, no, no. This could not happen. He couldn't blush at something a criminal said. He had only sold drugs, but he was still a criminal, nonetheless. He simply couldn't. It had to be against some rule book or moral social code or something. 

Nitori looked up and noticed that Momo was gone. He saw his retreating back walk into the cafeteria kitchen. _Well, Mikoshiba isn't too bad,_ he thought. He smiled and followed Momo through the doors to keep watch. 

\----

Either Momo was being self-centered, or Nitori was actually staring at him. 

Momo kept himself busy in the kitchen and hustled around. He kept feeling a burning sensation on the back of his neck—as if someone were watching him—but he was too scared to turn around and check who it was. For all he knew, it might only be his imagination. 

Momo couldn't take it anymore. He placed the box of utensils he was holding on the counter. He paused in his movements before whipping his head around to find Nitori's blue eyes watching him intently. Momo stared back with his golden eyes intensely. Nitori blinked in surprise at how intense Momo could be with a single stare. He looked away. Momo turned back around. 

Momo could at least confirm his thoughts: Nitori was staring at him. He grinned coyly and went back to work. 

\----- 

Nitori inwardly cursed. Momo had caught him staring. He really didn't mean to stare. But he was starting to notice how mesmerizing Momo was. It wasn’t that he was graceful. It was that he was _interesting._ He was loud, he created a ruckus, but he was also _interesting._ And every time Momo turned in the kitchen, Nitori caught a glimpse of his lovely golden eyes and adorable pout. 

Nitori almost groaned, but then he realized he was still on duty and there were other people around. What time was it? Shouldn’t he be getting off soon? He needed fresh air. If he didn’t he might do something crazy, like stimulate a conversation with Momo. And he definitely didn’t want that. 

He shuffled past the other officers on duty. One of them stared as he did. “Where ya going, Nitori?” his coworker asked. 

“Taking a break,” Nitori mumbled before he stumbled out of the kitchen. 

When he reached outside, he took a deep breath. He slid down the wall of the jail. His shoulders rose with every deep breath he took. He needed to get a grip, obviously. He had been training for so long, and now that he was actually on the job, he wondered if he was cut out for it. 

_I don’t know if I can handle this,_ he thought. He rubbed his face in his hands. 

Suddenly, he removed his hands. He stood up quickly, determinedly. _I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna tell Mikoshiba what I need to tell him._ He flung the door to the jail open and walked back into the kitchen. 

\-----

Momo threw his dirty pans in the sink for the washing team to clean.

“Mikoshiba,” he heard that familiar, firm voice say. “You’re done.” 

Momo sighed with relief. He wiped off his hands and he saw Nitori hold the door open for him. Momo walked out and Nitori followed him. They walked next to each other to return Momo to his cell. 

Momo cleared his throat in the silence. Nitori suddenly groaned exasperatedly. He stopped walking.

“Stop. Stop, Mikoshiba.” Momo stopped in confusion and turned to look at Nitori. “I–You-I—I don’t know. You’re driving me crazy and I just met you.” Nitori frowned with concern for himself. 

“...What?” Momo questioned. He was so confused. “I don’t–”

“Understand,” Nitori finished. “I know. You’re just, you’re so _you._ Whoever you are. Oh my god. I don’t even know you.” 

Momo nodded slowly with eyes darting about just as slowly. 

“I mean, I don’t—You’re cute, alright? You’re cute, and you’re a criminal, and you are in prison. And I am a cop. Oh my god, I am a cop. And you’re a prisoner.” Nitori paced back and forth. Momo followed his movements with his eyes. He didn’t know what to do. He decided to take advantage of the situation. 

“Well,” he started, leaning forward just slightly. “If I’m cute, and I think that you’re also cute, maybe, when I get out of this hell-hole we can go out to dinner together.” He finished his suggestion with a little smile that melted Nitori’s heart. 

His smile was contagious. Nitori’s lips curved into a small smile. “Okay,” he whispered with turbid happiness. They began walking again. “When do you get out of here anyways?” Nitori asked. 

“In five years,” Momo grumbled. He perked up when he added, “But with good behavior, I can get out in two and a half.” 

“Oh!” Nitori said in surprise. “Alright.” 

They walked in silence until they reached Momo’s cell. Rin was sleeping on his bed. Nitori paused and turned toward Momo. 

“It’s a date then. In two and a half years. I’ll see you then, Mikoshiba.”

“Momo. It’s Momo.” Momo was grinning from ear to ear. 

“Okay, Momo.” 

“Don’t worry,” Momo teased. “I’ll be worth the wait.”

And two and a half years later, Nitori realized that Momo was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my goodness i can't believe there is a momotori week i am so happy. hopefully i'll keep on schedule with the prompts and post one everyday till the 15th. i tried to take different approaches to each prompt so that's how this first one came around. i hope you all enjoyed!


	2. Injuries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ai is... _injured._ And a bit melodramatic.

Ai was most definitely not a happy camper. 

First of all, he only got 5 and a half hours of sleep when he needed the regular 7. Secondly, he didn't finish all of his homework that he had to turn in today. 

And finally, and most embarrassing of all: he injured himself. 

Well. _He_ didn't injure himself. He had to thank _Momo_ for doing that to him instead. 

He and Momo were nearing their one-year anniversary. Although it hadn't yet arrived, he knew Momo was excited—and he was too. He grew to love Momo and he couldn't imagine life without him. 

Except for right now. He had never been in such a sour mood. 

As he trudged along to the bathroom, holding his back dramatically with his hand and legs wobbling underneath him, he had to just think: he wasn't in the best mood. 

Of course, last night had been _amazing_ (rough, but _amazing_ ) with Momo, but at what cost? An inadequate amount of sleep and a sore body, apparently. 

_My god,_ he thought with a groan. _Never doing Momo again on a school night._

He reached the bathroom after a long, enduring trek and stumbled to the urinal. He limped over and barely made it without collapsing. He released a yawn as his body was turned toward the urinal. He closed his eyes for a moment and rocked back, just slightly, before being startled by someone who had walked in. 

"Hey, Captain!" 

Ai froze. He stepped away from the urinal after finishing and turned, flinching, as he came face-to-face with Kazuki Minami's chest. He looked up to meet his violet eyes and bright smile. Minami was a morning person. 

"H-Hi, Minami-san." Ai looked down uncomfortably as he tried to think of a way to leave as quickly as possible. 

Minami frowned down at Ai. "Rough night, huh? Homework kept you up late?" 

Ai blinked slowly. He nodded even slower. "Yeah." He wanted to laugh dryly at such an unwanted situation. 

"Ah, well. Nothing some coffee or tea can't fix. I'll see you at practice, Captain!" Minami waved at Ai as he walked toward one of the sinks. Ai waved back weakly before placing his hand on his back and teetering out. His back didn't hurt as much as his legs did, but the stance he took helped to keep his mind off of his sore, wobbly legs. 

"Ah," he murmured as he rubbed his eye and trudged along. "I forgot my toothbrush." 

He tried to rush back to his room to get it. He walked in and noticed Momo still sleeping on the bottom bunk. He eyed him angrily before grabbing his toothbrush and hobbling out. 

Okay, so maybe it was _partly_ his fault. He _had_ been rushing Momo last night because one, they were both a bit needy, and two, Ai needed his sleep. And to get his sleep, it'd have to be quick. Quick, but good. 

So of course, he figured he'd be fine the next day. He was lying to himself. He was still an amateur, as embarrassing as that was. 

As he brushed his teeth, he looked at his tired visage in the mirror. He had bags beginning to grow under his eyes. His hair was unruly. He was wearing Momo's shirt, and he was surprised Minami hadn't noticed earlier. 

He rinsed his mouth and wiped his face with his towel before heading out of the bathroom again. 

He sighed. It was only 7:10, and he was _so_ tired. 

He opened the door to his room and noticed Momo sitting up on the lower bunk bed, eyes closed and a content smile on his face. He stood up and stretched, wearing nothing but his boxers and pajama pants. 

Ai frowned and waited for Momo to notice his presence. 

It was a moment later, and he did. He grinned goofily and went over to hug Ai, but Ai shook his head. 

"Uh-uh. No way," he said firmly, continuing to shake his head. Momo frowned. 

"What's wrong?" 

"What's wrong?" Ai repeated, voice raising just slightly in mild anger. "I'll tell you what's wrong." He paused as he tried to think of a way to say that he was very sore from yesterday without having it sound like a joke. 

Momo's eyes grew wide in sudden horror. "Did I _talk_ in my _sleep_?"

Ai threw his head down in frustration. "No, Momo-kun. I'm... sore." 

Momo tilted his head. "Sore?" 

"Yeah. Sore." 

"Sore from…?" 

"Yeah." 

Ai let out a small sigh. Momo scratched the back of his head and let out a small, breathy laugh. 

Ai growled loudly. "Momo." 

Momo shook his head and hid his mouth behind his hand. "I'm sorry it's just," he put his hand down, "I didn't know we were _that_ rough." 

Ai sighed. "No, I—We weren't. Well, actually we were. But I also rushed it." 

Momo frowned in concern. "Nitori, I'm _really_ —" 

An alarm went off on Ai's phone. Ai whipped his head toward the noise. He let out a small yelp of surprise as he exclaimed, "We're gonna be late!" 

"Oh," Momo mumbled, barely intelligibly. "I'll be in the bathroom then." He grabbed his toiletries and left promptly. 

Ai looked around at all of his stuff scattered everywhere. He looked toward his desk, where Momo had placed him to kiss him last night; he looked at their discarded and forgotten clothing they had thrown off of each other, he looked at his bed and the sheets that weren't really covering the mattress anymore. 

Rin was right. He and Momo _were_ messy. 

Ai dragged his feet around the room and picked his shirt up off the ground, legs shaking in protest at the movement. He picked up three textbooks that had fallen to the floor and placed them on his desk with a wince. After that, he threw himself on the mess that he called his bed. He laid himself out and relaxed for a moment. It felt good. His muscles didn't feel as sore, and he could close his eyes for a moment. 

He waited for Momo to come back. Momo came back no more than ten minutes later. 

"Alright," Momo said as he walked into the room. "Let's go." 

Ai peeled himself off of the bed and stood up. He dusted himself off, took a quick shower, changed, and they were on their way to class. 

Ai slept through his classes, hobbled stiffly on his way to each one, and could only turn in two of the five homework assignments that he was supposed to have finished. He used his charismatic charm to beg for another day, and it worked. 

Well, that solved two of his problems. He didn't feel as tired, and now he could finish his homework and still get some credit for it. 

His last problem, though, was far from solved. 

He had swim practice today, and as captain, he had to lead it and _participate_ in it and, oh god, he could already feel his muscles screaming in protest. 

_Never again,_ Ai thought grudgingly. _Never gonna sleep with Momo again._

He could hear already imagine Momo laughing at his thoughts that were no more than stubborn, angry lies. Momo would know that thought wasn't true, and he knew it already too. 

He went to the locker room and changed slowly. He could hear the splashes of the swim team already at the pool and warming up. The team was really enthusiastic this year. 

He dragged himself out of the locker room after sitting down for a few moments. He looked up to the sound of someone giving a speech to the whole team. 

It was Momo. Momo was giving a speech. Why was Momo giving a speech? 

“Alright team,” he was saying. “So our captain isn’t feeling at his best today.” 

A small murmur arose from the crowd. One swim member asked, “What’s wrong with him?” 

Momo blushed and scratched at the back of his head nervously. Ai smiled as he watched Momo try to control the situation as calmly as he could. His nervous habit of rubbing his fingers against his side came as the murmur grew. 

“Well,” he started, “he, uh. He, um.” The rubbing grew. “He… fell.”

Ai face palmed. Someone let out a laugh. Momo frowned. 

Ai hobbled out from where he had been watching Momo’s speech. No one noticed him until he let out a little gasp of pain. He was smiling, though. Smiling because _wow_ Momo was adorable. 

“Hey everyone,” Ai said with a wave. “Sorry I’m late. And Momo’s right. Sorta. I pushed myself too hard yesterday at practice, so today I need some rest. I’ll be cheering you guys on though!” 

“No worries, Captain!” Minami yelled from the back. He grinned and winked at Ai as all of the other members began to mumble their agreement. Ai stiffened. Did Minami _know_? Ai prayed he didn’t. 

“Haha, thanks, guys.” Ai let out a small, breathy laugh and smiled timidly. 

Minami came to the front and threw his arm around Ai. “Not only that,” he began, with a raised index finger. “But Captain stayed up super late last night.” Ai sweated and the rest of the team awaited the reason. “You wanna know what he was doing?” Minami prompted. He paused before saying, “He was studying! I don’t know how our captain does it.” He removed his arm from Ai's shoulder and began clapping. The team followed and some cheers erupted from different parts of the crowd. Momo was staring at the exchange from the chair he had been standing on to give his speech. 

Ai cleared his throat. “Alright guys, that’s enough. Minami, go start the practice.” 

Minami nodded. “Let’s go!” He raised his fist enthusiastically, and began to instruct the team. They all followed him to the pool. 

Except for one. 

“Momo,” Ai said firmly. Momo looked up and walked over. “Momo, I–”

“Senpai,” Momo started, tears filling his eyes. When was the last time Momo had called him Senpai? “I’m so sorry!” he weeped. 

Ai sighed and smiled. He walked forward and wrapped his arms around Momo’s waist. “Momo-kun, it’s okay.” Momo’s body shook slightly with tears. He lifted his arms to wrap around Ai. They held each other for a moment before Ai pulled away. He looked up at Momo. Gosh, he’d grown a lot this past year. Ai grinned sheepishly and said, “I’m sorry.” He looked down. 

Momo’s head cocked. “Hm? For what?” 

Ai's eyes remained downcast. “For last night. For rushing us. For blaming you and getting angry. I know it was partly my fault too.”

Momo shrugged and smiled. “It’s okay. We were both at fault. Let’s just get over it.” He looked around and leaned in closer to whisper with a smirk, “The showers are empty right now.” 

Ai scoffed and rolled his eyes. He pushed Momo away. “Funny. Now go practice.” 

Momo saluted him playfully. “Aye-aye, Captain!” 

He ran off, jumped into the pool, and Ai couldn’t help but laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "injuries" hahaha i'm so dumb. anyways. i hope this one was better than the first (which was kinda meh), but i'm still trash for writing it. i hope you enjoyed it anyways!!


	3. Momo Finds Ai's Porn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Momo finds Ai's porn aka my excuse to try to fit as many innuendos in this fic as I can.

"Holy shit." 

Those were the words that escaped Momo's mouth before he could even think to create an intelligible thought. Those were the words that came out of Momo's mouth as he looked under his and Nitori's bunk-bed to find something he had never imagined to find there. 

_Porn._

Porn... Porn. Porn! Out of all things to be there, Momo would never imagine that Ai would spend money to possess magazines that had more naked people than Momo had seen in his entire life. 

Which would be... one person he'd seen naked. Himself. 

"Oh my god," Momo whispered. What was he supposed to _do_ now? Ai was (or at least, Momo _thought_ he was) one of the most innocent people he'd ever met! 

"Do I even _know_ Nitori-senpai?" he mused quietly to himself. He believed that now, he didn't. 

Nitori was the perfect student. He was the perfect swimmer because he worked so hard at it. He was the perfect roommate because he never goaded Momo about anything. 

Momo did that all the time. He always bothered Ai. He scared him with his bug collecting. He sometimes tried at swim practice but usually just did enough to get by. His grades were definitely not up to par with Ai’s. 

He’d never seen any porn, though. That was something that he, even with his older brother’s influence, had never been exposed to. 

Momo stared at the front cover curiously. It had a girl with a bikini that was staring flirtatiously at the camera. So tempting. He began to flip open the front cover when he heard the knob to his dorm door jangle. He panicked and flung the magazine underneath the bed and threw himself onto Momo’s bed, trying to look casual by leaning back and staring at the door. Just as he situated himself, Ai walked in. 

“Hey Momo-kun,” Ai greeted tiredly with a yawn. Momo waved back nervously, unsure of how to act around Ai. Ai turned to look at him. “Something wrong?” 

Momo shook his head and let out a nervous laugh. Ai raised an eyebrow. 

Momo stared at Ai’s backside as he scurried about the room, preparing his things for swim practice later. He stuffed his clothes into a bag and searched around for something. He looked at Momo and Momo froze in apprehension. Ai walked toward him and crouched down to look under the bunk bed. Momo panicked. Did Ai notice his magazines scattered messily about? He stared straight ahead tensely as he heard Ai make various shuffling noises under the bed. When the noises stopped, Momo looked up and saw Ai standing and staring at Momo as he bit into a granola bar. 

“Took me a while to find my granola bars,” Ai said conversationally as he stared at the one he was eating. “I forgot where I had put them.” 

Momo pushed out another nervous laugh. “Really?” he prompted shakily. 

Ai stared at Momo suspiciously. He nodded slowly and then regained himself quickly. “Are you coming to practice today?” 

Momo looked fixedly at Ai’s face and began to imagine how it looked when he looked at his magazines. He visualized a look of pure contentment and hot pleasure. Mouth open as he gazed upon the figures in the magazine heatedly, eyes lidded in desire, breath falling heavily from his lips. 

“Oh my god,” Momo whispered as his thoughts hit him. Ai looked at him in concern. 

“Momo-kun?” 

Momo shook his head and his face flushed a red akin to his hair color. His whole body felt hot, and he didn’t like it. “I–No. I’m not going to practice. Not feeling well and all.” 

Ai frowned. He walked closer to Momo and felt his forehead. Momo swallowed heavily. “You feel pretty warm,” Ai commented, looking up thoughtfully to get a better reading on Momo’s temperature. “Don’t worry, Momo-kun,” Ai started with a small smile. “When I get back, I’ll help you feel better.” 

Momo’s breath hitched in his throat at Ai’s words and he began to choke on his own spit. He felt like such a moron as Ai passed him a water bottle to drink. 

“I’m sorry, Momo, I gotta go. Bye!” 

The slam of the door shutting echoed through the room. Momo continued to lay on Ai’s bed in confoundment. He stared straight ahead of him. What was he supposed to do? He couldn't look at Ai without thinking about the fact that he probably jacked off to those porn magazines. And Momo didn't know what to do about the fact that he enjoyed imagining Ai doing that. 

He got up from the bottom bunk and squatted down on the floor. He looked under the bed and found the magazine he had encountered earlier. How had it even _come_ to this? He had been living in blissful ignorance until he found the magazines. 

Oh right. One of his beetles had crawled under the bed. He began his search and returned the beetle to its enclosure quickly. After he did that, he returned to the magazine. He stared at the cover once more. His thumb was held precariously on the corner of the magazine, ready to turn the page whenever he could muster up the courage. 

"Okay," he sighed heavily. "I'm gonna do it." 

He flipped the same magazine open and found... exactly what he expected. Naked girls were gathered about on all the pages, each with different makeup, hairstyles, and poses; and they all did different things to him. When Momo felt the blood rushing around in his body, he quickly closed the magazine. He placed it back neatly where he had originally found it and layed down on Ai's bed again. He stared up at the bottom of the top bunk, springs and all. Momo sighed and turned to face the wall. 

_Well when in doubt,_ he thought to himself, _take a nap._

So he did. 

\----

Ai came back from swim practice as quickly as he could to find Momo passed out on his bed. He looked down at him for a moment before feeling a sense of peaceful warmth rush through him. Momo looked so calm sleeping. His face held no discrepancies or worry. Ai sighed in contentment as he grabbed his rolling chair and sat down to look at Momo. 

"Well, we're here again, aren't we, Momo-kun?" Ai said quietly. "It seems like so long ago that I had asked you to do good at the swim meet. And since then, I've become captain, huh? It feels so unreal." Ai rested his elbows in his lap and put his face in his hands. He kept his gaze on Momo. "Thanks, Momo-kun. For being a great friend." He brushed Momo's face very lightly. 

Momo stirred and turned to face the wall, which caused Ai's hand to fly back to his side. Momo open his eyes and pondered what had just happened. 

"Momo-kun?" Ai tried. Momo stayed frozen in place. He kept staring at the wall, trying his hardest to keep his breathing even. Ai shrugged and stood up. He left the room to fetch Momo some chicken soup. 

Once Momo heard the door shut, he turned so his back was fully splayed out on the bed. He threw an arm over his forehead and dully stared up. Why was it that Ai confessed such personal things when he thought he was sleeping? It was frustrating because Momo wanted to respond, but he couldn't out of fear of embarrassing Ai. 

Momo sighed through his nose. He only saw one magazine, but Ai had to have had more. He shifted his body to get off of the bed and he found another few magazines, each with different genders, from different companies. 

"Ah, so Nitori-senpai swings both ways," Momo mused mischievously with a grin. He flipped through each magazine, and like before, instead of enjoying the photos on each page, he enjoyed the idea of Ai enjoying those photos. 

He felt a boner coming on, so he stopped and replaced the magazines where they had been. He sat back down on Ai's bed. Ai came back moments later with a tray that contained a bowl of hot soup and some crackers. Ai smiled gently when he saw that Momo was awake. 

"I brought you some soup." Ai placed the tray on his desk. He gestured for Momo to sit at the desk. "C'mon, while it's still hot." 

Momo stood up wordlessly and incoherently, trying to forget about the images that had flashed in his mind minutes before. 

"Blow me," he heard Ai say lowly. Momo whipped his head around to look at him in shock. His face was painted pale. 

"W-What?" he stuttered confusedly. 

Ai blinked at him. "I said blow on it." 

"Oh," Momo deadpanned. "Right." As he blew on a spoonful of soup, he wondered if he actually had a fever. No way had Ai said that in the first place. He was delirious, probably. 

Ai turned around and began to tidy up the room. 

Momo puffed out a breath of air in exasperation. 

\----

It was lunchtime. A time of relaxation, a time to hang with friends...

And apparently for Momo, a time to watch his roommate suck on a popsicle. 

Now, he had never really thought about Ai _that_ way before. Sure, he had acknowledged Ai's cuteness and blushed a few times in the process. But now that he knew what Ai hid under his bed... well. He was afraid he'd never be able to look at Ai that same innocent way ever again. 

Ai continued to gingerly suck on the cherry popsicle and Momo watched every movement and every flick of his tongue. His lips parted unconsciously as he continued to watch Ai. All he needed was for Ai to groan and... 

Ai pulled out the popsicle with a resounding smack of his lips. He licked at the sides of it, from top to bottom, while mindlessly watching the people around them eat their own lunches. 

Momo felt his blood rushing again. Was Ai even aware of what he was doing to him? Momo figured he didn't because if he did, he'd probably stop. 

Once Ai finished the popsicle, he stood up, licking his lips, and practically _sashayed_ over to the garbage can. God, was Ai always that hot? Momo wondered. Had he just not noticed before?

Momo picked at his lunch as Ai returned to his seat and brushed his hands off. 

“Man, I’m full,” Ai said, rubbing his belly. He turned to look at Momo. “You ready yet?” 

Momo shook his head as he stared at his cold spaghetti. He didn’t remember if he had even eaten any of it. It looked very untouched. 

“It’s so hot,” Ai conversed as he began to fan himself with half-lidded eyes. 

_Okay, no,_ Momo thought. _No way is he not doing that on purpose._ Ai continued to fan himself hazardly.

Momo nearly cried at his misery. 

\----

Momo groaned in frustration and threw his head down into his math textbook. He didn’t get any of it. It didn’t help that he couldn’t focus. 

Ai popped up behind his shoulder to glance at the textbook. 

“Ah, Momo-kun, let me help you. It’s not that hard.” 

Momo turned his swivel chair around to face Ai with a pout. “It’s pretty hard, Senpai.” 

“It’s not. I’ve done this type of stuff hundreds of times.” 

“Stuff,” Momo repeated. How vague. 

“Yeah,” Ai nodded. “I mean, at first it was hard, but it got really easy as time went on.” 

“Easy,” Momo parroted. His mind, it seemed, would never escape the chains of the gutter.

Ai looked at him uneasily. “Yeah…” he trailed off. “You’re feeling okay, right Momo-kun?” 

Momo blinked. Then, he stood up and exploded. 

“No! No, Senpai! Why are–why do you–You have porn, Senpai!”

Ai stood frozen, registering Momo’s words. When he did, a blush flooded his cheeks. 

“M-Momo-kun, please don’t tell anyone!”

Momo laughed. “Why would I tell anyone? It’s embarrassing just thinking about it. Gosh, you of all people.” He raked his hands through his fiery hair in exasperation. 

Ai pouted angrily. “What do you mean, ‘you of all people’?” 

“Well,” Momo stuttered. “I mean. Well. Just imagining you looking at it–”

Ai’s eyes widened in shock. “You _imagined_ me…?” 

Momo cursed under his breath as he threw his head down. His face burned. “Yeah.” 

Now that Momo thought about it, this situation would be hilarious if he hadn’t thought about Ai sexually in the first place. Just the fact that Ai had porn magazines was hysterical, but his stupid mind had to think about Ai in _that_ way, and… it just wasn’t fun. 

Ai began to laugh. “Oh my god,” he breathed out between giggles as he wiped tears of mirth. “Oh my _god_.”

Momo’s eyebrows furrowed in mild anger. “What?” 

“You, Momo-kun. Just you.” 

“I didn’t choose this life,” Momo replied dramatically. 

“C’mon, Momo-kun,” Ai said with a smirk that Momo had never seen before. “What did you _imagine_?” 

Momo shook his head. What the hell was going on? Ai was not being Ai. 

Ai stepped close enough that Momo could feel heat radiating off of him. Ai looked up at him with this sensual look that Momo had never seen before. “Momo,” Ai started lowly, dropping the honorific. Momo swallowed. “I can keep secrets.”

“I saw you,” Momo breathed quietly. He dipped his head down, eyes lidded. “I saw you,” he repeated. “You were… looking the way you look now.”

“And how do I look now?” Ai prompted, smirk growing on his lips. He stepped a little closer, and suddenly Momo felt Ai’s body brush against his. 

“ _Hot,_ ” Momo groaned under his breath. 

“Ah,” Ai murmured. “Well in that case…” he trailed off and reached a hand up to Momo’s cheek to lead Momo’s head down. 

They brushed lips until Ai kissed Momo completely, and sparks flew through both of their stomachs wildly. Ai wrapped his hands around Momo’s neck to hold him against him. Momo’s arms slid down to Ai’s hips and kept him in place. 

They felt dizzy. They felt warm. They felt _good._

And when Ai pulled away, a familiar phrase tumbled carelessly from Momo’s lips.

“Holy shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was a bit rushed, i'm so sorry for that. i hope you enjoyed!


	4. Reactions and Cheering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ai hears a poem from Momo and reacts. In the wrong way. (AU)

If Ai was being honest with himself, he really didn't want to be where he currently was: a poetry slam. 

A _poetry slam._ Ai was good friends with Rin, but he didn’t think he’d ever have to go to one for Rin. Ever. He just wasn’t a big fan of poetry. Or slams. Or poetry slams. 

He was a big fan of being a supportive friend and roommate, though, which brought him to his current position. 

He blew lightly at his hot tea and raised it to his lips. As he took a sip, he glanced around at the other people mindlessly chatting around him about the future poets that would go up to slam some poetry. 

"So," Ai started unsurely, "are you going to share any poetry?" 

Rin laughed. “Funny, Ai. But I don’t think I’m ready for that yet.” 

“Why not?” Ai questioned. 

Rin patted Ai’s shoulder. “Trust me. I know.” 

Ai nodded slowly and looked away confusedly and awkwardly. He was trying, he reminded himself. Always trying. 

When the lights dimmed down, the slam started. Ai felt everything pass by in a blur. He didn’t listen to any of the poems. 

Until one. 

Ai was about to get up and order another tea when he looked towards the stage and saw something different from the regular dark-haired, expressive people that always talked about whatever plagued their lives. 

He saw a fiery, red-haired poet with a bright smile on his face and a small sheet of paper–something the other poets didn’t have. 

“Hey everyone,” the poet said casually with a side-grin. “This is my first poem I’m presenting. It’s called Crawling.” 

Ai stayed in his seat and heard the entire poem. He listened to each word attentively, and watched the golden eyes of the poet flick from the paper he held to the crowd. Ai was entranced by both his words and his presence. He heard the lovely words fall effortlessly from the poet’s lips as he addressed the crowd with a smile in his eyes. Ai watched as the dim lighting of the stage shaped his figure. The poet continued his poem, and Ai had never been so mesmerized before. 

When the poet finished he paused, blinked, and then looked up. When his head whipped up, Ai clapped. He clapped and clapped and clapped hard until his hands felt raw. 

Then, he was nudged harshly by Rin. Ai snapped out of his trance. He blinked and realized that the poet was staring at him with a thoughtful look on his face–as well as every patron in the room, but their reactions were looks of contempt. Ai lowered his raised hands slowly. His face was burning, and he had never been so embarrassed. 

Rin snapped his fingers repeatedly to show Ai, and everyone followed. The poet smiled and bowed his head, then he left the stage and disappeared behind the curtain of it. 

Ai stood up when the next poet went on stage and went to order his tea. After he did, he chose an empty table in the corner of the coffee shop and threw his head down into his arms. He was so frustrated at himself. This was why he never went to things like this. He preferred small groups of close friends. Not large crowds of strangers that would judge him for not knowing that he wasn’t supposed to clap. Since when was clapping a bad thing? Ai had always clapped after movies, after plays, and after performances. That poet had just had a stunning _performance_. So he had clapped. What was wrong with that? 

“Having a bad day?” 

Ai’s head flew up and he turned it to see the golden eyes that had just been shining on stage not ten minutes before. When he realized who it was, he flushed a cherry red. 

“I–You.” 

The poet laughed. “Me.” 

“I’m so sorry,” Ai babbled nervously. 

The poet waved him off. “It’s cool. Is this your first slam?” 

Ai nodded his head and let his shoulders droop. 

“What’s your name?” 

“Nitori.”

“Nice to meet you, Nitori. I’m Momo.” 

Ai cocked his head confusedly. “Momo?”

Momo scratched his neck sheepishly. “Ah. Yeah. My real name is Mikoshiba Momotarou. But I think Momo’s just easier.” 

Ai nodded his head in understanding. “Well my full name is Nitori Aiichirou. Some of my friends call me Ai.”

Momo cocked his head with a playful smile. “Ai, huh?” 

Ai’s face felt hot again. “Yeah.” He looked up when he heard his name from the barista. He went to retrieve it and returned to the table where he had been sitting at. Momo sat there waiting for him with a friendly smile. 

They chatted for a long time; Momo talking about his poetry, and Ai talking about his major in college. Before they realized it, Rin walked up to them casually with his hands in his pockets. 

“Ai,” he said, and Ai jumped and looked up. “It’s over.”

Momo looked up too and saw that the poetry slam was, indeed, over. 

“Oh,” he murmured, removing his elbows from the table he had been leaning against to listen to Ai talk. He stood and stretched. Rin looked at him.

“You’re that poet, right? With the ‘Crawling’ poem?”

Momo nodded through a yawn. “That’s me.” 

Rin smirked. “Great job up there.” He turned to Ai. “Hey, Ai, I’m meeting up with Sousuke tonight. Are you good walking home alone?” 

Ai nodded quickly. “Of course. See you later.” 

Rin nodded and uttered a farewell and walked off. 

The poet and college student stood in silence. 

“So,” Momo started. “What are you doing tonight?” 

Ai blinked. He looked at his watch. It was nearing 7 o’clock. “Well,” Ai sighed, “nothing.” 

Momo nodded and his eyes shifted around playfully. He leaned forward and began to rock back and forth. 

“Ai,” Momo said as he rubbed at the back of his neck. Ai looked up at him with bright blue eyes. “Wanna um. You’re cute?” 

Ai’s smile overshadowed his cherry cheeks. “You have such a way with words, Momo.” 

Momo shrugged with a grin. “I try. So, wanna go out some time?” 

Ai nodded softly. “Yeah. That’d be fun.” 

Momo nodded and his grin grew. He gestured out with his arm as he said, “May I walk you home?”

Ai giggled. “Of course.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry this is short but i need to finish the chapter that's actually SUPPOSED to be posted today. i hope you enjoyed!


	5. Captain Aiichiorou

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Momo tries to take advantage of the fact that his boyfriend is the swim captain.

Momo had his fingers intertwined on his neck, elbows up, as he walked down the street. He felt good. Breaking the rules was _exhilarating._

“M-Mikoshiba-senpai, are you sure that we should be doing this?” 

Momo cast a sidelong glance at the first year, and he saw fidgeting fingers and a sweaty forehead. “Ah, _relax_ Riku. It’s fine. It’s only one practice.”

“Yeah, but won’t Captain Nitori get mad?” 

Momo scoffed. “Ha! He couldn’t get mad at me if he _tried._ ” 

“Really,” Riku muttered thoughtfully, more to himself. 

Momo nodded anyways. “C’mon, let’s go to the arcade.” 

\----

Ai looked at his phone to see the time: 4:28. Practice started at 4:30. He glanced around the swim team to look for a familiar red-haired second year. None in sight. He was starting to worry. He hadn’t seen Momo since that morning. What had happened to him? Was he okay? Ai hoped he was. 

As he looked around, he realized that first year, Riku was also missing. His visage turned deadpanned as he quickly realized the situation. 

There was no way Riku would miss a practice without informing Ai. Riku even texted him when he had a minor case of the sniffles. It wasn’t necessary, but Ai appreciated it. 

As for Momo, that was a _whole_ different story. 

Momo came into practice late, made up lame excuses, and now he had missed a practice entirely. What was Momo trying to do, break his ever-growing patience?

_It’s fine, it’s all fine,_ he assured himself. _Momo’s just gonna get it later._ He glared at nothing, eyes slanted in anger. 

When he snapped out of his bout of irritability, he clapped his hands to start the practice. “Alright guys, time to warm up!” 

\----

“Yes! Five-hundred points!” Momo cheered as he threw his last skeeball. 

“Senpai,” Riku tried nervously. “Practice has been going on for an hour already…” 

“I know,” Momo exclaimed. “Isn’t it great?” He shook his head in happy disbelief. “Wonderful.” 

Riku sighed. “Senpai, I’m sorry, but I’m going back.” 

Momo frowned. “What?” he drawled. “Why?” 

Riku’s fists clenched. “Because I can’t do this!” he declared frustratingly. He began to walk away and Momo followed nervously. 

“Riku, where are you going?” Momo called. 

“I’m going to practice, and I’m telling Nitori-senpai about this _whole_ situation.”

Momo chuckled smugly. “No worries. I can handle it.” 

Riku rolled his eyes. Momo didn’t see it because he was trailing behind. “Right.” 

When they reached the indoor pool, Riku pulled the door open quickly and stormed in. Ai was standing outside of the pool and holding a stopwatch, observing one of the swimmers in the water. 

“Captain!” Riku called desperately. “Captain!” 

Ai looked up and Momo swallowed. Ai’s blue eyes matched the color of the water he was standing next to and Momo thought that in that exact moment, that he looked beautiful. Guilt washed over him. He shouldn’t have skipped practice without telling Ai. 

Riku ran up to Ai breathlessly. “Captain,” Riku started. “I’m so sorry. I wanted to be here, I did. But Mikoshiba-senpai told me it’d be fine if we skipped practice and go to the arcade.”

“Arcade?” Ai repeated in mild disbelief. He nearly laughed. 

“Yes.” Riku had his head bowed. “I apologize. I promise I’ll work extra hard at practice tomorrow!” 

Ai laughed quietly. “Of course, Riku. No worries.” 

“Thank you so much, Captain Nitori!” Riku bowed his head and walked away to talk to some other first years that weren’t in the pool. 

Ai watched him go proudly. He taught the boy well. Then, he shifted his eyes and turned his body around to face Momo, who was still standing there with a defiant look in his eyes. Ai scoffed quietly. 

“Momo.” 

“Ai.” 

“You skipped practice.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Momo glanced around to see if anyone was watching and stepped forward toward Ai. He smirked. “Is there anything you’re gonna do about it?” 

Ai sighed and hung his head. “Momo,” he murmured. “Not right now.”

Momo stepped back and frowned. “What?” 

Ai crossed his arms. “Practice is going on right now. I’m leading it. Captain and all, remember?” Momo nodded quietly, looking a lot less smug than before. “Now, lemme just say that I’m very disappointed in you, Momo.” 

Momo whimpered soundlessly. “Ai, I’m sorry–”

Ai shook his head. “Momo, c’mon. You should know better! You should be setting an _example_ for the first years.” 

Momo nodded and tears swayed around in his eyes, but not falling. “I know. I just thought–I don’t know. That I’d get special treatment or something.” 

Ai released a small smile. “I don’t think so, Momo. I’m _everyone’s_ captain.” He patted Momo’s shoulder. 

Momo smiled as well. “What about later?” His smile turned more coquettish. 

Ai rolled his eyes with a playful grin. “Definitely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> goodness i can't believe it's still technically on the day i'm supposed to post this. i wrote this so fast.


	6. Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Valentine's Day, and Momo and Ai go to the movie theaters on a date. Kissing happens, as well as some other, not-so-fortunate things.

Ai wasn't sure about this. 

But then again, when was he ever sure about anything? 

It was Valentine's Day, and he and Momo were going out to see a movie together. It was a new kids' movie (as per Momo's request), and Momo was really excited to see it. Ai wasn't as excited, but he was glad to spend Valentine's Day with his boyfriend. 

Of course, leave it to Ai to be completely unaware of things. 

He hadn't noticed Momo's sidelong glances. Or repeated actions of putting on lip balm. Not even the dreamy look Momo got in his eyes when he thought about Ai's lips. 

He and Momo had kissed before, and quite steamily. But they had never done it in a public place. Ai wasn't very keen on public displays of affection, not because he found it embarrassing, but because he liked to have some sort of decency in public. They held hands occasionally, but not too much. They generally just walked close to each other. 

After Ai bought the tickets, he sent Momo to order some overpriced popcorn and soda because Momo liked to eat something when watching intense scenes. And according to him, there would be a lot of them in the movie they were seeing. Ai learned later that he wasn't wrong, but it wasn't the movie that was intense. 

When Momo returned with his hands full of a small popcorn bag and soda, they proceeded to the ticket-ripper and Ai handed him the tickets. 

"Enjoy your movie!" the guy said with a friendly smile. Ai smiled at him as a sign of thanks. 

They walked down the long corridor of theater rooms that had different titles in each one until they saw the movie they had paid to watch. Momo grinned and excitedly began to walk over. 

When they walked in, they found that it was mostly empty. That probably had to do with the fact that it was Valentine's Day, and no one wanted to see a kids' movie on Valentine's Day. 

Nevertheless, there were still a few families scattered about quietly, and both Ai and Momo were glad that there was no crying baby in sight. 

"C'mon," Momo whispered as he gestured to Ai that they should go up. He began his walk up, and Ai followed. 

They made it to the top and found the whole back-row empty. They decided on two seats in between the middle and left corner. The lights were still on–not fully, but just enough for people to get to their seats. Momo and Ai sat and Momo placed the popcorn on his lap and the soda in the cup holder between. He sighed and set the popcorn down in between his legs so he’d be able to comfortably throw his arm around the back of Ai’s seat. Finally, the lights dimmed down and the previews started. Momo saw a few movies that he wanted to see in the future. Ai thought the previews were cute. 

Then, ten minutes into the movie, Momo took his arm away from the back of Ai’s chair and slid it slowly onto Ai’s lap. He felt Ai tense underneath his hand. 

“Momo,” he whispered cautiously. “What are you doing?” 

Momo shrugged and slid his hand closer to Ai’s torso. He place it in between Ai’s thighs with a smirk on his lips. Ai’s breath caught in his throat. 

“Momo,” Ai muttered shakily. “We’ll get caught.” 

“Not if we stay…” Momo paused and moved his lips next to Ai’s to say, “quiet.” Ai shivered and kept his wide eyes on the screen of the theater. 

“C’mon, Ai,” Momo pressed hotly into Ai’s ear. “Kiss me.” 

Ai swallowed. Should he? Would they get caught? Well, there were only a few families in the movie theater. “Aw, screw it,” Ai murmured as he raised his hand up to Momo’s cheek to guide him to his lips. 

When their lips met, Momo and Ai felt the same sparks they felt when they had their first kiss. Ai melted into the kiss as Momo deepened it and Ai felt Momo’s tongue run across his lower lip. Ai felt his body heat up, and he let out a sigh through his nose. He felt Momo’s hands slide underneath his shirt and slip up his back softly. Ai’s hands reached behind Momo’s neck and his fingers intertwined there. He could feel the hotness of Momo’s neck and Momo felt the warmth radiating from Ai’s back. 

They pulled away, eyes lidded heavily, lingering near each other’s lips. 

Until a bright light shined on their eyes. 

Ai sprung up in shock to see a woman who appeared to be around age 30 shining a light from her cell phone down on him and Momo with a look of annoyance. 

“Ex _cuse_ me,” she said snottily. “But your kissing is distracting my kids and I from the movie.” 

Ai shot up guiltily. “I-I’m so sorry, ma’am! I’m so sorry. Please, I-I’m so sorry.” 

The woman drew back in surprise. She was going to speak and say to not worry as much, but Ai panicked, grabbed Momo’s arm, and dragged him out of the theater. 

“Oh my god,” Ai said repeatedly as he made it back to the hall of entrances to the theaters. “Oh my god. Oh my god, oh my _god._ ” He had his head in his hands in shock and disgust in himself. “I can’t believe it. This was what I meant about _decency_ Momo!” 

Momo waved him off. “Relax, Ai. Don’t let this ruin our Valentine’s Day.” 

Ai sighed and lowered his hands. “I–Yeah. I know.” He shook his head with wide eyes. “I can’t believe it. We are never kissing again.” 

Momo jumped. “But Ai, it was just bad luck!” He grabbed his shoulders. “You’re not being serious, right?” 

Ai shrugged with a shake of his head. “I don’t even know. Still trying to wrap my head around what just happened.” 

Momo rubbed at the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. “Well, I guess the movie’s a bust. Wanna go get something to eat?” 

Ai smiled and let out a small, breathy laugh. “Sure. Yeah. I need to get my mind off of what just happened.”

Momo stepped closer with his hands wrapped together behind his back. “Well… I was thinking, afterwards…” 

Ai pushed Momo away with a little shove and shake of his head. “Don’t even wanna think about later. Let’s go.”

Momo chuckled. “Okay. By the way,” Momo started with a long pause. 

Ai looked at him and uttered, “Hm?” 

“Happy Valentine’s Day.” Momo grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy valentine's day everyone! i hope you enjoyed this!


	7. Snow Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ai's flight is delayed, but during the delay, he meets a very friendly, redheaded college student.

"Attention all passengers of Flight 104C. Your flight has been delayed a possible amount of 4 hours due to a snow storm in Moscow. Please remain alert for possible updates." 

Delayed. _Delayed?_ No way was Ai’s flight delayed. It couldn't be delayed. He had the most important business meeting to attend in Moscow in less than 24 hours. 

And 4 _hours_? Out of all trips to be delayed, it had to be this one. Top it all off with the fact that he wouldn't have gotten a ticket so close to his meeting time if he hadn't had to attend a family member's birthday party. Yeah, he was cruel. Yeah, he did regret spending (forced) time with his family. Yeah, he was a workaholic. 

And hell yeah, did he really need to get out of Iwami Airport and to Bykovo Airport in Moscow as soon as possible. 

He clutched at the backpack he cradled in his lap, which held a pen, his laptop, and some papers for work. He sighed. Could this day get any worse? 

As Ai was about to let a yawn escape, a loud _schwoomp_ of someone plopping down next to him startled it away. He glanced over to see a young-looking, laid-back redhead who let out what sounded to Ai like a content sigh. He had the smile for it and everything. 

Ai looked away when the man flickered his eyes towards him. The man smiled and sat up in his seat. 

"This is exciting isn't it? I've never had a flight delayed before." 

Ai stared down at the ground in front of him, still clutching at his backpack. He noticed the man shift slightly toward him, and he looked over at him. 

The redhead was staring at him with confusion and worry etched on his features. Ai realized he hadn't responded, and the man seemed to expect a response, as much as Ai didn't want to give him one. 

"Yeah," he murmured out of common courtesy, turning to look down at his feet again. 

The man let out another breath before speaking. "I'm kinda glad, you know? I didn't really wanna go to Moscow. Although I did have to pay for my own ticket," he muttered grudgingly. 

Ai cocked his head to the side and flickered his eyes at the man curiously, if not worriedly. "Why are you going then?" 

The redhead looked at him in surprise at the fact that he raised a question. "Huh? Oh, well, I have to pay my brother a visit. He moved to Moscow for his work." 

"Why doesn't he come to you?" 

The redhead was excited at the oncoming questions and Ai’s curiosity. "Well, personally I think it's because he's lazy. But he says it's because I should do sightseeing in Russia and meet some lovely Russian girl to marry while I'm at it." He rolled his eyes. "Ridiculous. I've already been to Russia twice, I don't need to see it another time." 

Ai let out a small, breathy laugh. "I see." 

The redhead nodded. "Yeah. So, what's your name?" 

"Ah," Ai started. "Nitori Aiichirou." 

"Nitori-san," the redhead mumbled to himself. "I'm Mikoshiba Momotarou, but I prefer just Momo." 

Ai smiled. "Well, hello, Just-Momo." 

Momo burst out into chortles, ignoring the cluster of cranky passengers that just wanted to board their delayed flight as they shot glares at him. "You're funny, Nitori-san. I like that."

Ai laughed. "Thanks." 

Momo scratched his head. He paused as he placed his hand in his lap. He seemed to be searching hard for something to say. 

Ai sat for a moment, staring at the strange man that had walked up to him and started a conversation. He had never met someone so friendly before. Should he have not given out his full name? Momo told him his name too. That was pretty even. No need to be worried for his life, hopefully. 

He realized he was staring for too long when he noticed the smooth complexion of Momo's face, the brightness in his golden eyes, and the shininess of his fiery hair. He looked away at the TV screens that held information about each flight. 

There it was. Flight to Bykovo Airport from Iwami Airport delayed 4 hours. He didn't like to think of himself as one of those people who had every minute scheduled down to a T. But right now, he was freaking out, just a little bit. 

A shaky sigh escaped him and Momo whipped his head to look at him. 

"Are you okay?" he immediately asked. 

Ai nodded. "Just a bit nervous." 

"Why?" Momo's eyes held unremovable concern. 

"I can't be late to Moscow." 

"Oh," Momo muttered. Then, he smirked. "Meeting someone special over there?" 

Ai shook his head, completely serious. "It's not like that. I have a really important business meeting in less than 24 hours." 

"Oh," Momo repeated, this time with a worried frown. He was known to be a procrastinator, but he didn't expect this Nitori guy to be one too. "Why didn't you just schedule a flight sooner?" 

Ai shook his head. "I couldn't. I had a family get-together I was forced—had to attend," he quickly corrected himself to sound more courteous and less rude. 

"Ah," Momo said as he nodded in understanding. "I feel ya on that one." He patted Ai’s shoulder and froze, mid-pat. Was he allowed to pat strangers? Was it in the universal handbook for social interactions that it was okay to do that? Not like he'd follow that anyways, but he didn't want to scare Ai away with his overbearing personality. 

Ai craned his neck to look at the hand hovering over his shoulder. He followed it up to reach Momo's face, which had an expression of realized shock. Ai smiled apologetically. 

"Are you alright?" he asked Momo. Momo blinked his eyes toward him and nodded. 

"Yeah," he said quietly. 

_What? What a great shift of personality,_ Ai thought. Maybe he was just thinking about something, he mused in his head. 

Ai looked away as another yawn emerged and he covered his mouth. He shouldn't have stayed up all night packing. He regretted it, but he could sleep on the plane, he guessed. He checked his watch. Only 20 minutes had passed. He wanted to lay on the floor. 

"I'm sorry," he heard Momo blurt out from next to him. "I shouldn't have touched you without your permission." 

Ai chuckled, waving him off. "It's fine, Momo-san. It was just a friendly pat on the shoulder. Nothing wrong with it. It made me feel a bit better too." 

"Oh," Momo said dumbly. "Okay." 

Ai shrugged to move past the topic and Momo felt better now. He put his elbows on the armrest and leaned in just slightly toward Ai. 

"So," he started with a grin. "Tell me about you, Nitori-san." 

Ai was taken aback. "Me? Why would you want to know about me?" 

Momo made a lazy waving gesture with his hand. "You know, just to get to know you. We're gonna be here for four hours together. Also, you seem like such an interesting person." 

Ai blinked at Momo. Had anyone ever told him that? Probably not. And yet, here was this guy, who was basically a stranger, asking him what no one had gotten around to ever asking him. Did they never ask because he was boring? Or maybe it was because he never gave anyone a chance to ask. He had always been on the go since primary school. Never looking back at his perfections, always striving to become more, to become better. 

He cleared his throat. "Um. Well. Gosh, where do I start?" He let out a breathy laugh. "I was born in Nagoya, but when I was 7, my family moved us to Iwami to live a more suburban life. Of course, moving away from the city didn't stop me from having big dreams. I've gone through a lot of different career aspirations, from lawyer to chemist, but now I've settled for marketing consultant and I really enjoy it. Like I said earlier, I'm on a business trip." 

"Wow," Momo said blatantly in shock. He stared at Ai for a few moments before smiling. "That's some cool info." 

Ai shrugged with a smile. "Thanks." He mimicked Momo's earlier actions of interest and leaned a bit toward him. "So what about you?" 

"Me?" Momo smirked. "I live a dark life. I'm the leader of a gang and I drink vodka everyday of my life. I never met my mother and my father was the one who forced me to take control of his gang after he left. Haven't seen him since." 

Ai blinked, an open-mouthed frown on his face. "I, uh, I—" 

His stuttering was cut off by Momo's laughter. "You're so gullible. I didn't think you'd actually believe me." 

Ai crinkled his nose in mild annoyance. "I didn't believe you. I was just trying to figure out how to respond to that." 

Momo's laughter continued as he gasped out, "No way, Nitori-san. It was written all over your face." 

Ai huffed, crossed his arms, and blew up air into his bangs. They fluffed up a little and Momo noticed the gesture with a smile. 

Momo nudged him with his elbow. "Wanna hear the true story?" 

Ai eyed him suspiciously. "Is it gonna be your true story or are you gonna tell me you're the son of Frankenstein?" 

Momo stopped for a moment and contemplated what Ai said. "Actually, that'd be pretty cool," he mused. 

Ai sighed in disbelief. Momo shook himself of his thoughts. 

He clear his throat, much similar to how Ai had earlier. "So me. I'm in college. I go to Tottori University. Still trying to figure out what to do with my life. I kinda like entomology, though." Mono shrugged. He didn't like talking about his future very much. It reminded him that he still didn't really have it planned out yet. 

Ai nodded encouragingly. "It's good that you're interested in something! No need to have your whole life planned out. Sometimes it's better to just go with the flow. Right?" 

Momo's faced burned as he nodded. 

"I mean," Ai started, "did you plan to talk to me? Or did it just happen?" 

Momo shrugged. "I don't know. I saw you, you seemed approachable, so I went for it. Also, there was an open seat next to you." He grinned. 

Ai laughed. 

"By the way," Momo began in curiosity, "how old are you?" 

"Twenty-three." 

"Oh," Momo uttered in surprise. 

"You?" Ai asked. 

"Twenty," Momo responded quickly. Ai nodded in response. A second later, he shrugged. 

"I don't think much about my age. It's just kinda there." 

Momo curled his lip in thought. "Yeah..." 

Ai checked his watch. 30 minutes had passed. He checked the TV screen. It still read the same information. Ai stood up and stretched with a groan. His T-shirt lifted above his waist to show his belt. Momo stared at it. 

Ai turned toward him. "Let's go get something to eat." 

Momo blinked in surprise. "Right now?" 

Ai shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, why not? We've got three hours to kill." 

"Oh. Okay." 

Ai slung his backpack over his shoulder and held out his hand for Momo to grab. He did, and he rose to his feet. 

"Breakfast, yeah?" Ai suggested. "It's only ten AM and all." 

"Sure," Momo agreed. He grabbed his bag and latched it onto his shoulder as well. They walked off in search of a breakfast restaurant. 

\----

Three hours later, and all passengers were boarding the plane. Ai and Momo were facing each other, as the line near them inched forward for first class and business class. Ai should've been in that line, but he wanted to say goodbye first. 

Momo rubbed at his neck. He had spent four hours with this short, blue-eyed man, but it felt like he knew Momo better than Momo knew himself. _He should be a therapist,_ Momo was thinking, _because he sure knows how to peel people apart._

Ai stared up at Momo as Momo continually rubbed his neck nervously and looked everywhere but at Ai's eyes. He smiled. "What are you thinking about?" he asked. 

Momo shrugged and dropped his hand from his neck. "Gosh, I don't know. Everything?" His hands flew to his pockets. 

Ai's smile widened just slightly. He let out a little laugh. "Me too, I guess. I don't know. I really liked hanging out with you for four hours, as weird as that sounds." He quirked his eyebrows together in amusement. 

Momo grinned. "Me too." 

"Last call for business class and first class seat-holders to check in." 

Ai sighed sadly. "That's my cue. I'll see you later Momo-san." 

Momo watched as Ai grabbed his hand and opened it up. He looked down at his hand as Ai placed a neatly folded up napkin in it. Ai closed it shut, held it for a second, then walked away with a small skip to his step. 

Momo looked down at his closed fist, then Ai's retreating back, and all he could think was: _Oh my god._

\----

Ai walked away as confidently as he could. He wanted to leave a lasting impression and all. Leave them wanting more, was the saying. Ai grinned as he walked down the pathway to the plane. 

Meeting Momo was worth the snow delay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and this concludes momotori week! funny because this was the first one i finished. it's my favorite of the ones i've written. i hope you enjoyed!


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